KPIT and CoEP Pune reward student innovation

Global technology major KPIT has announced the winners of Sparkle 2015, a national design and development innovation contest organised in association with College of Engineering, Pune (CoEP). The contest was aimed at fostering innovation among science and engineering students by inviting breakthrough ideas to address ongoing challenges in the areas of transportation and energy. 

The contest received 424 varied ideas from over 1,100 students from more than 114 colleges across 17 states of India. In the final round, the shortlisted teams presented ‘proof of concept’ of their solutions for global issues, from unconventional power generation and hybrid solutions to intelligent transport systems and driver safety.

The ideas were reviewed and judged by a jury comprising eminent figures from the field of science and technology including Dr R A Mashelkar, head, Innovation Council, KPIT; Anil Datar, general director, DRDO (Defence Research & Development Organization); Arun Firodia, chairman, Kinetic Group; Prof. Mathai Joseph, former executive director, Tata Research Development and Design Centre, Pune; Dr Ashish Lele, Polymer Science and Engineering Division, NCL (National Chemical Laboratory); Satish Gokhale, founder of Design Directions;  Alok Mukherjee, head of robotics  at R&D E (Engineers), Pune and Dr Sahasrabudhe, director of CoEP. The finalists were evaluated for novelty, utility, and inventiveness of their ideas at an exhibition held at KPIT’s campus in Hinjewadi.

Jainendra Mishra from Siddaganga Institute of Technology, Tumkur, Karnataka won the grand prize (Platinum award) of Rs 10 lakhs for his innovation. He developed a solution aimed at increasing efficiency of hybrid and electric vehicles, which run on a lithium-polymer battery pack, by using a novel circuitry grid using SANDY (Switching algorithm ANd cell DYnamics) algorithm.

The team of Suraj Aru, Shubham Gajabhiye, Tejas Auti, Harshal Nikam, and Pravin Jadhav from College of Engineering, Pune won the gold award of Rs 5 lakhs for their centrally suspended cage-less differentiator for the automotive sector.

There were three silver award-winning teams —  Shruti Kharwandikar and Kruti Patel from MKSSS's Cummins College of Engineering for Women, Pune; Ajay Kandgal and Vivekanand Kulkarni; as well as Sourabh Alagundagi, Rajat Bapuri, Sumitra Malagi from B.V. Bhoomaraddi College of Engineering and Technology, Hubli, Karnataka. Each team won a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh.

Ravi Pandit, co-founder, chairman and Group CEO, KPIT, said, “Our heartiest congratulations to the winning teams and to all those who participated in Sparkle 2015. Every idea proves that today’s youth has enormous potential to find feasible solutions for many of our existing energy and mobility challenges that matter. We at KPIT strongly believe in nurturing innovation and sparking creative ideas that benefit society. Sparkle 2015 has enabled students to realise their scientific and technology acumen.”

Dr. RA Mashelkar, head, Innovation Council, KPIT, said, “Sparkle is a brilliant effort to draw engineering talent from students across the country and provide a platform where they can compete and demonstrate their talent. I am impressed with the ideas that the contestants have come up with. The ideas are novel, pertinent and more importantly, solving problems that needed to be solved rather than what can be solved. There was extraordinary and creative thinking behind some of the solutions, while many of the ideas are commercially viable and game-changing. I congratulate the winners and wish to tell them that this is a thousand-mile journey, where we have taken the first few steps.”